Election Aftermath

In the election this week, the popular vote was split down the middle between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

We have seen Trump supporters cheering and Hillary supporters crying.

Photo courtesy Getty Images

I have friends and family who are Trump supporters. I know them to be good people and they truly believe that he is the answer to get this country back on track.

I also have friends and family who are Hillary supporters. They are also good people who feel the country is on the right track and they believe Donald Trump will derail it.

Our country is truly divided right now but it’s not the first time.

According to Ron Chernow’s book, Hamilton, this has been the case in America since its inception. Even the founding fathers didn’t agree on everything.

That’s what makes our country great.

Photo courtesy of Matt Rourke/AP Photo

We are allowed the freedom to debate our beliefs and ideas.

But who’s right and who’s wrong? They are both right and wrong.

No one person or group has the right to push their ideology on others. I know I get angry and resentful the minute someone tells me how I should be living my life.

All of us, not just our representatives, need to start listening to each other. We need to stop talking, get our anger in check and start trying to understand our fellow human beings. Especially those whose opinions are different than ours.

I believe we are more alike than we are different.

Most of us want to make a decent living, have access to affordable healthcare, raise our families in a safe environment, and enjoy the freedoms that this country was founded on.

And, each side has a different idea of how to get there.

The founders of this country knew that compromise needed to be part of the solution. The art of compromise is that neither party walks away totally happy but they are each able to live with the deal at hand.

Hamilton the musical is based on Ron Chernow’s book

One of those deals is what landed our capitol in Washington DC.

Try this today, stop talking and be curious about someone who is different than you. Ask questions and listen, really listen.